OVERVIEW

The California Chapter of the National Association for Multicultural Education (CA-NAME) is holding its 7th Annual Statewide Conference. The conference will be held at the University of San Francisco, on Saturday March 24 and Sunday March 25, 2018. Participants will engage in workshops, panels, and paper/poster presentations that address the conference theme of "Peoples Pedagogy: Defining, Defending, and Developing Ethnic Studies." Confirmed keynote speakers include Alma Flor Ada, Patrick Camangian, and George Lipsitz

For democracy to flourish during these troubling times, education must reflect the interests and visions of everyone, specifically and substantively including historically marginalized communities. Working from a democratic vision for education, we are appalled but not surprised with the resurgence of white supremacy, xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny, and anti-Muslim sentiment that is happening at both the interpersonal and institutional levels, perpetuated by the rise of hate groups across the nation.

Ethnic Studies curricula and programs offer a distinct alternative. Ethnic Studies are centered around the knowledge and perspectives of a historically marginalized group, reflecting narratives and points of view rooted in the lived experiences and intellectual scholarship of that group. Empirical research consistently finds that a rigorous and well-designed curriculum that is culturally relevant to students, and taught in a culturally relevant manner with high academic expectations, has a positive academic and attitudinal impact on them. Presenter works will value the community cultural wealth of all peoples and practitioners dedicated to ethnic studies. The paper presentations, poster presentations, and workshops will lead us to consider how we can further advocate for and support ethnic studies in our schools, decolonize classroom spaces, create socially just curriculum and schools, unite children, youth, adults, and diverse communities, and locally strengthen the work of ethnic studies educators.